


A Gift Never Comes Alone

by thekeyholder



Category: Muse
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, M/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 06:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1103661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder/pseuds/thekeyholder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from the lovely dolce_piccante: Matt and Dom work in an office that has a Secret Santa gift exchange and they get each other. The only problem is that they both dislike each other for various (silly) reasons. While trying to secretly figure out what gift to buy, they learn more about each other and maybe don't dislike one another quite so much ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Gift Never Comes Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dolce_piccante](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolce_piccante/gifts).



> This is my contribution to this year's [snowpremacy](http://snowpremacy.livejournal.com/) . Happy Holidays!

“Hello, lovelies!”  
  
Matthew frowned when he heard the awfully chirpy voice of his colleague Dominic. How could _anyone_ be so cheerful on a Monday morning? And the way Dominic strolled into the office of the publishing house, confidently, like he owned the place, in his stupidly tight jeans just made Matthew want to tear his hair out. From the very first moment they had met, he just knew he wouldn’t be friends with Dom, even though the whole office thought they would click instantly since they were both openly gay.   
  
Dom greeted him with “May the fourth be with you!” on the day he was hired, and that was when he was lost for Matthew since Matthew was the biggest Star Trek fan _ever_. Of course, the newbie couldn’t have known that, but Matthew still didn’t like him and he almost drilled holes in their boss’s head when she gave Dominic the desk right beside Matthew. A Star Wars fan sitting so close to him?! Ugh!   
  
He tried to cover his ears whilst all his other colleagues greeted Dominic in overjoyed tones and then exclaimed as they all noticed Dominic’s new haircut. Even Matthew looked up to see his female co-workers coquetting with Dom, touching his blonde hair and telling him how handsome he looked. Dominic blushed and Matthew rolled his eyes, wondering how on Earth his colleagues couldn’t see through the blonde’s faux shyness.   
  
“I…that is, Jesse and I broke up and I thought I needed a change,” Dominic said with a sad smile.  
  
All the ladies expressed their regret, but Dominic told them it was all right, since it was never “meant to be”. Matthew just filed it away as a fling – he guessed Dominic had them all the time since he was so outgoing. While Matthew had been an employee for over three years and still only knew very few other people at the firm outside the office, Dominic was buddies with _everyone_ and he’d only been there for six months. It was beyond Matthew how anyone could be so sociable. 

* * * * *

  
Finally having escaped from the circle of his female co-workers, Dominic went to his desk and sat down without even looking at Matthew. They worked until lunch break when Carol, one of their colleagues, gathered the group for an announcement.  
  
“So, it’s the end of November and we all know this means it’s time for Secret Santa! Don’t forget, you don’t have to buy anything expensive, just a little present that will brighten your recipient’s day.”  
  
Dominic didn’t know about this particular tradition of the office, but he was just as excited as the others. They put down their names on small slips of paper and placed them in a hat. Dominic’s palms were sweaty as he reached into the hat and chose a name. The hat was passed around whilst the blonde read the name, so no one noticed when he grew pale. He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea anymore. He read the note again, but the name was still the same. He looked up just as Matthew drew his note and watched his reaction. It seemed that his colleague, too, was surprised by the note for a moment, but adopted a poker face almost instantly.  
  
Dom left for his favourite pub to have lunch and get over his shock, two of his colleagues joining him as well. When he came back he found Matthew munching on a sandwich and editing a picture. This was not a rare sight, but Dom realised only then that he had never seen Matthew go out to have lunch during the break. Whenever he came back from his break, Dom would always find Matthew at his computer, working on something or the other, often raking his hands through his dark, dishevelled hair as a sign of him encountering a difficult task.  
  
Dominic still couldn’t believe that he drew Matthew’s name, the only person in the office, no, in the _building,_ who he hated. Everyone knew that it was a mutual feeling between them. What were the reasons behind his hatred? First of all, Dominic had the feeling that his colleague looked down on everyone. He kept to himself, as if he was too good for the company of others. Dominic was so communicative and sociable, yet he couldn’t break through this man’s walls (not that he tried too hard, mind you...). Matthew thought he was so fancy and superior that wore a suit to work while everyone else dressed in t-shirts and jeans.   
  
To make matters worse, Matthew was a _trekkie_ : he had Spock as his computer background and Dominic told himself that his colleague only needed those silly elf ears and he’d be exactly like his idol: a cold, know-it-all alien who thought he was above humans. This was why Dominic enjoyed annoying Matthew by using a Star Wars desktop, inserting quotes from the films in conversations and so on.  
  
Now he was supposed to buy a present for this guy and Dominic thought that completing the marathon crawling naked on sandpaper would be a less painful task. He didn’t even know anything about Matthew. What did he like? Well, apart from Star Trek, because Dominic would never put his hand on anything related to that, thank you very much.  
  
He knew one thing, though Dominic had only admitted it to himself: Matthew’s photography was outstanding. He worked for the concert photography department and always managed to capture the passion of the musicians, whether it was a rock concert or a symphony. He worked hard and always got praises from their boss. Dominic looked to his left and seeing Matthew’s rigid position and remembering his cold stares he doubted that this Ice King actually had fun at those gigs. Maybe the classical ones, but he just couldn’t imagine Matthew head banging to alternative music.  
  
Yet sometimes Matthew wrote the reviews himself, not that Chris guy who usually accompanied him and wrote his impressions. Sometimes there were two gigs taking place at the same time, so Matthew also had to evaluate the concert. Dom didn’t always read his articles, but once when he did he was surprised by the witty remarks made by his quiet colleague. He had never imagined his colleague to have such a sharp tongue. Anyway, a concert ticket as Christmas gift wasn’t a good idea – it might remind Matthew of work.   
  
There was no other way, Dominic told himself grudgingly. He had to get to know Matthew.

* * * * *

  
Matthew buried himself under work, trying to forget the failure, which was drawing the name for Secret Santa. Out of the other nine people he worked with, he had to choose that insufferable Dominic’s name. How annoying! He really loved December, with the festive atmosphere and the quiet excitement brimming in everyone. Secret Santa was always so much fun; on their last day of work they would all bring cookies, cakes and soft drinks when everyone received their gifts.   
  
Without having the slightest idea about what were Dominic’s hobbies, Matthew came, unknowingly, to the same conclusion as Dominic: he had to get to know his colleague a little bit better in order to buy a decent present.

* * * * *

  
The whole office was very busy during the first days of every month as that was the time the magazine was published, so Dominic didn’t have much time to think about ways of getting closer to Matthew. But then he remembered that his birthday would be on the 7th of December and he could invite all his colleagues for a drink. That would be a subtle move; much better than when he thought about interrogating the people who were friends with Matthew.  
  
As soon as he walked into the office, Dominic was bombarded with loud wishes of ‘Happy birthday!’ and friendly pats on his back. However, people suddenly became even more cheerful when Dom announced the following:  
  
“Thank you so much, you all are so lovely! I’m inviting all of you to _Kirky’s_ after work. Drinks on me!”  
  
Dominic smiled at the excitement of his colleagues. He walked to his desk and watched as Matthew was typing. Dom wasn’t sure if his “desk mate” heard the announcement, so he decided to ask him.  
  
“Umm… Matthew? You’re coming too, right?”  
  
“Sorry, what did you say?” Matthew turned, pushing his glasses a bit down on the bridge of his nose.   
  
“I’m… it’s my birthday today and I’ve invited everyone for a drink after work. I’d like you to come too,” Dom said and smiled unconvincingly, pretending to brush off fluffs on his cardigan, too nervous to look his colleague in the eye.  
  
“I don’t know… I guess I could go? If you don’t mind, that is,” Matthew seemed unsure, as if afraid that he’d be a burden.  
  
“That’s great! It’ll be fun!” Dominic exclaimed, perhaps a bit too excited, but he was relieved and wore a smile all day.

* * * * *

  
Dominic entered _Kirky’s_ in high spirits and took off his scarf as the pleasant warm air of the pub enveloped him. He and his colleagues finally found an empty booth big enough to house them. Dom wriggled on the seat, noticing how small it was when there was a gentle push from his left. He looked there and noticed that Matthew was trying to sit down on the corner of the seat, so Dominic made room for him.  
  
“Sorry, didn’t mean to bother you,” Matthew apologised, extremely polite as always, and blushed as their thighs touched yet again, but there was barely any place for him.  
  
“It’s all right,” the blond told him, even though he was still a bit surprised as to why his colleague didn’t go to the other side of the booth.  
  
Dominic had to remind himself that things were on track and he reasoned with himself that it was silly of him to be feeling weird around Matthew. It was unusual, true, but it was all for a good purpose. They could go back to their polite dislike after Christmas and no one would bat an eye.   
  
They all ordered mulled wine and started talking about all kinds of subjects, laughter erupting ever so often. Another round was ordered and with a generous quantity of alcohol and cheer in their system, people started sharing some funny – and in some cases embarrassing – moments from their lives. When Dave, their colleague from IT, told them, with a luxury of details, the story of how he lost his underwear during his holiday in Greece and was forced to sneak back to his hotel naked, everyone laughed their heads off.  
  
However, from the chorus of laughter, Dominic picked up on the sounds coming from his left. Matthew’s narrow shoulders were shaking with laughter, his face red and eyes glistening with tears. The brunet tried to hide his laugh with his hands, but it still escaped from his lips. It was more high-pitched than Dominic had expected, but he soon realised that it was probably the first time he had heard Matthew laugh.  
  
That fact made him turn to Matthew again with wide eyes, just wondering about the boyish laughter, or rather giggle. It seemed that Matthew was the kind of man who laughed with his whole body; even his otherwise glacial eyes crinkled and the happy tears made them sparkle. He also had the kind of laughter, which ignited amusement in other people, so Dominic, even though his tummy hurt from it, started laughing even more. He couldn’t have asked for a better birthday celebration and leaned against the seat with a content sigh. The new round of drinks was welcome after such a strain on their diaphragm.  
  
The conversation then moved to the magazine and while everyone was excited about the special holiday issue, it also meant they had extra work to do beside their usual tasks for the January issue. Soon people started leaving for it was getting late. Dominic hugged them and went to the bathroom. When he returned, he only found Dave at the table who was waiting for him because they lived in the same neighbourhood. Dominic went to pay for the drinks, but the bartender (who was Kirky, the owner of the pub) told him that one of the guys had already paid for it.  
  
“What? Who was it?” Dominic asked, confused.  
  
“Don’t know his name, man. I don’t think I’ve seen him before. It was that dude in the suit,” Kirky shrugged and turned to another customer to get their order.  
  
Dom was speechless and didn’t understand at all why Matthew had done it, and especially why he had disappeared so quickly, but his mind was too addled. Besides, Dave dragged him out into the chilly weather and all he could think about was to get home and crawl into his warm bed. 

* * * * *

  
The next morning Matthew woke up a little later than usual and had to run to catch the bus. He felt like his whole day was going to be awful and only thinking about the mess on his desk and the tons of work that awaited him made him sick. However, when he got there, his desk was… _impossibly_ not cluttered. Clean. Spotless. He rubbed his eyes, but the stacks of papers were still there, in order, the computer screen and the desk itself dusted and no signs of food remains or any other garbage.  
  
“Did any of you clear my desk?” Matthew asked the colleagues who were in the office.  
  
“Umm, no. It was like that when I arrived, and I think I was the first,” Carol replied.  
  
Dominic came in and greeted everyone. He saw Matthew’s confused expression, hid his smile and asked:   
  
“Hey, is something wrong?”  
  
“Er… yes. Well, actually, no. I just distinctly remember leaving a huge mess, and I mean a HUGE one, on my desk and look at it now,” Matthew replied, scratching the back of his neck, looking around confused as if searching for the good fairy who cleaned up after him.  
  
“Maybe it was the cleaning lady?” Dominic suggested.  
  
“I doubt it. Shame or no shame, but I often leave my desk in a similar state and it’s always ignored,” Matthew admitted and finally sat down, tapping his fingers against the shiny surface of the table.  
  
“Or maybe it was your Secret Santa,” Dave quipped and winked at Matthew.  
  
Dominic paled a little, but it went unnoticed. During the day he glanced at his desk mate from time to time and was very content when the brunet exclaimed how much easier his work was when he didn’t have to look for a particular document under a mountain of rubbish. Dominic smiled. Getting up an hour earlier was maybe worth the effort. But he only did it in return since Matthew paid for the drinks, not because making someone smile felt so good. 

* * * * *

  
The deadline to hand in the articles for the special issue was fast approaching. Dominic was the columnist of the “Beauty in Plain Sight” section. Basically, he just wandered through the streets, taking pictures of random buildings and people, trying to capture the beauty that perhaps was not evident at the first look. He was always extremely pleased when people learned the locations of certain pictures and were shocked when they realised that they passed along those places daily.  
  
He was lucky, however, for the Christmas lights had already been installed in the city centre and even the boring places had become magical. The Christmas market attracted many people; and even though the aromatic smell of mulled wine and caramelised apples couldn’t be immortalised with a camera, Dominic found many things that were worth being photographed. It wasn’t too cold, but it wasn’t warm either, and since he couldn’t take pictures with gloves on, his fingers were numb. His feet, too, were ice cold, so he headed towards a pub he’d seen earlier, but he had never been before.  
  
Dominic thought it was a small pub, but when he opened the door he noticed that it actually had at least three rooms. It was probably the strangest pub he’d ever seen: the furniture consisted of mismatched, shabby, old pieces; surprisingly, it worked well and created an interesting atmosphere. He took off his earmuffs and looked around with wide eyes.  
  
Unexpectedly, a crown of unruly dark hair caught his attention and he thought he saw Matthew, but he wasn’t sure. He tightened his hold on his camera and went after the mysterious figure, squeezing through people. Dominic saw his colleague enter a room almost full with people at the end of the hallway, and he was about to go after him when a guy stopped him.  
  
“Hey, are you going to The Mushrooms gig?”  
  
Dom frowned, but nodded.  
  
“You should leave your coat in the cloakroom; it’ll be warm inside.”  
  
The blonde didn’t want to lose Matthew from sight, but the guy was right, so he decided to leave his things in the cloakroom. He hurried back to the concert room: luckily, it was quite a small, cosy place and it definitely wasn’t as crowded as it seemed. The band hadn’t started yet. What did the guy call them? The Mushrooms? He’d never heard of them, but he supposed Matthew came to take pictures for the magazine.  
  
Dominic craned his neck and spotted his colleague at the front, a bit towards the right, and made his way to him.  
  
“Good evening, Mister Bellamy!”  
  
“Dom!” the brunet exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Oh… um, I was out, taking pics of the Christmas lights and came in to defrost my numb fingers when I saw you. Thought I’d say ‘hi’,” he explained sounding a bit awkward. He beckoned towards the scene: “Work?”  
  
“Yes, although I know the guitarist, he’s a friend of mine. Don’t you want to stay?” Matthew asked and seeing Dom’s unsure expression he went on: “It’s a short gig, thirty minutes or so; the band is raising money for the children’s hospital. They are doing covers tonight.”  
  
Well, he really couldn’t say no, could he? “All right, sounds fun.”  
  
Dominic didn’t have great expectations, but the band was quite good and they sang well-known hits, so the crowd sang with them. However, the thing – or rather the person – that captivated him the most was Matthew. His rigid, workaholic colleague was actually _having fun_. Matthew jumped and participated in all the sing-alongs, plus he also managed to take pictures. Dominic felt like he was just getting to know another side of Matthew. Or maybe this was the real Matthew? Either way, he wouldn’t have thought that his desk mate was such good company.   
  
After the concert was done, Matthew looked like he wanted to ask something, but he needed a few minutes to gather his courage.  
  
“Would you like to have a drink with me? You could show me your pictures. I mean, if you want to…”  
  
“Yes, sure, although I can’t stay too much. Look, there’s a free table,” Dominic pointed to a corner. “What can I get you?”  
  
“Whatever you’re getting,” Matthew said, although the truth was nothing crossed his mind.  
  
Dominic just smiled and returned with two Mojitos a few minutes later.   
  
“I thought Mojitos would bring a bit of summer feeling, although sadly, they were out of little umbrellas,” Dominic pouted and Matthew laughed.  
  
“So you don’t like winter then?”  
  
“I do, if I could watch it from inside, wrapped in a warm blanket,” Dominic said as he crushed the mint leaves with his straw. “I mean I love the atmosphere and the food, obviously.”  
  
Matthew leaned in and whispered conspiratorially: “The secret to survive winter is… ” – a meaningful pause – “to dress up properly.”  
  
“So cheeky!” Dominic exclaimed and laughed.  
  
“Will you show me the photos you took?” Matthew asked, mostly out of politeness.  
  
“Oh, all right, but don’t expect anything spectacular, though,” Dominic replied as he rummaged through his backpack.  
  
He gave Matthew the camera, too embarrassed to look at his own shots. It was strange and perhaps a bit silly that he felt this way, but he knew that Matthew was a better and more experienced photographer and he feared that his colleague would disdain his photographs.   
  
“Dominic…” Matthew whispered and the blond looked away, waiting for the critical words. “These are wonderful!”  
  
Matthew and Dominic both looked at each other with considerable shock; Matthew because he didn’t expect to see such impressive pictures and Dominic because he thought his work was not good enough. In fact, Matthew felt embarrassed since his petty hatred for Dominic prevented him from realising how talented his colleague was. It was time to make up for it.  
  
“This picture, the one with the little girl admiring the Christmas tree should be on the cover of the special issue.”  
  
Dominic snorted. “Ah, no. You’re too kind.”  
  
Matthew stared at him with his lips pressed together, the glacial look he used to have when addressing his colleague making a comeback, but for a different reason.   
  
“Listen to me, Howard. I think these are really good photographs and if you don’t believe me, let me give you logical reasons. That one,” he turned the camera’s screen to Dominic, “is the best. The tall, proud Christmas tree with the golden lights is in startling contrast with the small, black figure of the child. It evokes memories in the mind of those who will look at it. And I could go on with the things it could symbolise, but I hope you realise that I meant what I said. This _is_ a photograph worth of the cover.”  
  
Matthew’s stare was so intense that Dominic couldn’t hold it for more than a moment. He mumbled his thanks while he put away his camera, hoping the strange feeling in his stomach would fade away soon. He told his colleague that he would send the best pictures to their boss and leave the decision to her. After all, he was quite new there; he didn’t expect anyone to notice his work. Luckily, Matthew didn’t insist on the subject either, but he had a strange determination in his eyes. The two young men drank their Mojitos and went home, for they had to get up early the next day.

* * * * *

  
Dominic walked into the office and greeted Matthew first. His colleague started and quickly closed the page he was looking at.  
  
“Hi. What are you doing?”  
  
“Hey, Dom! Uh… nothing interesting, I’ve just checked my emails. Did you think about what I told you yesterday?”  
  
Dominic nodded as he took off his coat, knowing his answer wouldn’t satisfy Matthew.   
  
“I won’t tell the boss outright to choose my picture for the cover. If she likes it, she’ll use it.”  
  
Matthew sighed, but he didn’t have time to convince Matthew as his colleague Chris came to talk to him.  
  
“Hey, guys! Matt, I’ve just got an email from the boss. Sadly, she couldn’t obtain tickets for the Christmas Symphony, so we cannot go.”  
  
“Couldn’t she get some press passes? With all her connections?” Matthew asked incredulously.   
  
“Absolutely nothing. Every ticket has been sold months ago,” Chris replied and patted Matthew’s arm consolingly. “Well, gotta go. See you soon, guys!”  
  
Matthew sat down and sighed, clearly disappointed by the news.   
  
“What concert is this?” Dominic asked, sitting down as well.  
  
“The Vienna Philharmonic will have a concert on the 26th… all the tickets have been sold out in three minutes. I was hoping the magazine could get hold of some, though. The boss knows everyone. Anyway, I guess we’ll have to wait for next year or something.”  
  
Matthew seemed resigned and returned to his work, but Dominic was already making plans and racked his brains on whom to call in order to get some very expensive and rare tickets.

* * * * *

  
Buying Christmas presents had never been an easy task for Matthew. It was already the 15th of December, so he decided to go to a mall and buy something for his parents and brother. He didn’t spend as much time in the shops as he thought he would, so he wanted to have a look in one of the clothing shops. A few days before, he had overheard Dominic complaining to Carol that he didn’t have anything elegant to wear for his family reunion.  
  
Matthew wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He admired the tie selection, even though Dominic didn’t look like the type of guy who would wear ties. What a shame, there was a really nice silk one which would have matched the colour of his eyes perfectly. The fact that Matthew was now familiar with the unusual greyish-green eyes of his desk mate puzzled him only for a moment. There were some shirts and cufflinks, oh, cufflinks would make lovely presents, he thought to himself.  
  
That was until he saw a familiar blond admiring the same items.  
  
“Hey, Dominic!”  
  
“Ah, Matthew! So good to see you! I need some help – I can’t decide which pair of cufflinks to buy: the ones with the red or blue crystals?”  
  
The brunet thought the blue ones looked better and Dominic purchased them right away. With a sigh Matthew crossed out that gift idea.  
  
“So what were you looking for?” Dominic asked.  
  
“Uh, I just had a look round. I bought some presents for my family and didn’t want to go home yet,” Matthew said and showed the shopping bags in his hands.  
  
“Well, would you like to have a cup of coffee?”  
  
Matthew agreed and they went to a nice café, which luckily wasn’t as packed as the fast food restaurants. They ordered their drinks and discussed their plans for the holidays.  
  
“All I know is that I’m having lunch with my parents and my sister and her family on Christmas,” Dominic said. “I’ll probably just sleep and catch up on TV shows on the other days.”  
  
“Really?” Matthew asked incredulously. “So… uh… you didn’t make up with Jesse?”  
  
Dominic laughed. “Hell, no! That guy was a mistake. I haven’t even thought about him, to be honest.”  
  
“Sorry that I brought him up then,” Matthew apologised, stirring his coffee and trying to ignore the subtle joy he felt.   
  
“It’s all right. I’m glad we’ve had so much wok to do that I didn’t have time for useless moping. What about you, though? Are you seeing someone?” Dominic didn’t even know how he managed to utter the question; he had never asked something that personal to his colleague.  
  
Fortunately, Matthew wasn’t offended by it. “Like you said, I’m usually too busy with work.”  
  
“Besides, you’re too smart to get into relationships doomed to failure,” Dominic added with a certain kind of admiration.  
  
Matthew blushed, shaking his head. “Well, here’s to healthy, enduring relationships,” he raised his cup.  
  
“You want to clink coffee cups?” Dominic laughed, but raised his own cup.  
  
The brunet shrugged. “We have to make do with what we have.”  
  
“To lasting relationships then!”

* * * * *

  
One wouldn’t have thought that it was a Friday evening, judging by the agitation in the office. Everyone agreed that it was better to stay some extra hours on Friday than coming in on Saturday as well. They had to finish the special issue, which was supposed to be published on Monday, the 23rd of December. It was past eight when Dominic finally exclaimed “DONE!” and returned Matthew’s bright smile.  
  
“Great, let’s go to Kirky’s then. I think we all deserve a drink,” Dave shouted and several voices agreed with him.  
  
Dominic and Matthew put on their coats, eager to get out of there. Not everyone in the office joined the group, only half of them, but then they met Chris outside the building, so in the end six of them entered the pub. Instead of pleasant music, however, a woman with a rather high-pitched voice was singing “Like a Virgin”.  
  
“Dear god, I think it’s Karaoke night,” Dave stated, and tried to find a booth as far from the scene as possible.  
  
It looked like all the previous customers had the same thing on their mind, so they only found a place quite close to the scene. However, the next singer was quite good and sang “We Are the Champions”. Their drinks finally arrived and after gulping down half of his glass of wine, Matthew slumped against the seat, his shoulder touching Dominic’s. It was too comfy to move.  
  
“So, did you get your Secret Santa presents or you left it for the last days and are panicking like me?” David asked.  
  
“You never learn, my friend,” Matthew laughed.  
  
“Shut up, don’t pretend you weren’t happy about the one meter chocolate Santa I got you last year! And anyway, you really bought your present already?  
  
“I did, although it wasn’t easy,” Matthew smiled sleepily. “A couple of days ago. I’m just not sure if they will like it.”  
  
“That’s kind of everyone’s problem, isn’t it?” Carol asked.  
  
“Well, I knew _exactly_ what I had to buy, but I’m still not sure if my… acquaintance actually managed to get hold of it,” Dominic pouted.  
  
“Dude, what did you order, drugs?” Dave asked. “I hope you’re my Secret Santa then!”   
  
Dominic just laughed, refusing to give any clues, but he made everyone curious. When Dave started whining again about how hard this Secret Santa was, Chris interrupted him:  
  
“Dave, buddy, I have six children and a wife to buy presents for – I think my situation is clearly more difficult.”  
  
While the two men bantered, Dominic looked to his right: Matthew was blinking frequently, trying his best to stay awake. The blond looked at the scene, then back to his friend and smiled as an idea started forming in his head.  
  
“Come with me,” he told Matthew and dragged his friend by his wrist.  
  
“What, where are we going?!”  
  
“You were almost sleeping there. Come, time to wake up,” Dominic said and went towards the scene.  
  
Two girls had just started singing Coldplay’s “Paradise”.  
  
“Aw, that’s such an awesome song!” Matthew said and started humming along.  
  
“Good, because we’re going to sing an even more awesome song! You like The Killers, right?” Dominic asked as he perused the list of available songs.  
  
“Yes, I do, but you don’t expect me to sing on the scene, do you?” Matthew whispered, horrified, his drowsiness gone.  
  
“Will you do it if I join in?” Dominic asked hopefully.  
  
Matthew looked at the people in the pub and felt embarrassed, but he could not ignore the intensity in Dominic’s eyes and before he realised it, Dominic was bouncing happily because he had accepted. He had never sung with so many people to witness it before! Then suddenly, Dominic pushed a microphone into his hands and the blond smiled at him and whispered: “It’s going to be fun!” and all his worries faded away with those words. Then he heard the first chords of the song.  
  
“[Mr Brightside](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE)?” Matthew asked, laughing, because that was his favourite Killers song.  
  
And the rest was just laughter and singing and happiness.

* * * * *

  
Dominic knew that he had a very bad singing voice and yet he agreed to go out there and make a fool of himself. A while ago, he learned that one couldn’t live their life constantly worrying about what others thought about them. He didn’t care that his voice was embarrassing; he just wanted to have fun with Matthew.  
  
 _“I'm coming out of my cage_  
 _And I've been doing just fine.”_  
  
His voice was a bit quiet at first. He knew the lyrics, but it felt safer to watch the screen. Matthew smiled at him encouragingly and he let go of his last inhibitions, singing his favourite part loudly:  
  
 _“It started out with a kiss_  
 _How did it end up like this_  
 _It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss.”_  
  
It seemed that Matthew was warming up too and Dominic realised with every passing second that the brunet actually did not have a good or an acceptable voice, but an _amazing_ one. They sang together; in fact, they were facing each other, singing for each other. For Dominic, everything else except Matthew disappeared. All he could look at were Matthew’s beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. He was in a daze; the lyrics of the chorus left his lips automatically.   
  
_“Jealousy, turning saints into the sea_  
 _Swimming through sick lullabies_  
 _Choking on your alibis_  
 _But it's just the price I pay_  
 _Destiny is calling me_  
 _Open up my eager eyes_  
 _‘Cause I'm Mr Brightside.”_  
  
Matthew couldn’t believe he was doing this, but with Dominic on his side it felt right. He giggled at certain parts and Dom just looked at him and broke out in a smile, inspiring each other with confidence. He closed his eyes, giving himself to the warm joy that was bubbling inside him, so he didn’t even realise that he sang the last part alone.  
  
When he opened his eyes the whole pub broke out into applause and whistles. Dominic was clapping the loudest and he laughed as he suddenly hugged Matthew with an arm to himself. The brunet felt like he was in a dream; he had never experienced so much positive energy and love sent his way. He blushed and shared the moment of glory with Dominic, his eyes never leaving the blonde’s face. They went back to their table, their skin still tingling with excitement, and perhaps they sat closer to each other than it was necessary. Another round of drinks was had before the group decided to leave.  
  
Dominic and Matthew found themselves outside of Kirky’s alone. They shuffled their feet and laughed as they remembered their karaoke performance. The blond wanted to say how good he felt, how happy he was that they were friends now, but Matthew managed to get it out before him:  
  
“Dominic, I haven’t had so much fun in years. Thank you… for everything.”  
  
Matthew touched Dominic’s forearm with his gloved hand and leaned in as he pressed his wine-red, thin lips against Dominic’s soft cheek. The brunet’s blue eyes locked with grey ones for a moment and Matthew smiled with his whole face, his eyes alight with fondness.  
  
Matthew was gone with a whispered “bye” and Dominic was left wondering if it was real. He walked home, humming his favourite Killers lyrics to himself. As he closed his tired eyes that night, he hoped that it was not “only a kiss”. 

* * * * *

  
The fact that he had spent a lot of time that weekend texting with Dominic didn’t diminish Matthew’s uncontrollable eagerness to see his colleague on Monday. He had baked muffins with chocolate and almonds because he knew those were the blonde’s favourites. He had spent a little bit more time in front of the mirror that morning and, for the first time ever, he didn’t put on a tie – he loosened up as Dominic advised him. But he still wore a shirt and he messaged Dominic that he should be wearing one as well.  
  
Matthew was enthusiastic, but a bit anxious as well: he wasn’t sure if Dominic would like his gift. He also didn’t know what would happen next. He couldn’t believe how close he and Dominic had become and he asked himself if his colleague was satisfied with what they had or if he, too, wanted something more.  
  
Some of his colleagues had already given their presents or just left them on the recipient’s desk. It wasn’t that late, but Matthew was worried a bit and he couldn’t look at their happy faces anymore. He took Dominic’s present and went outside, plopping down on one of the armchairs in the hallway. He glanced at the flat box of the present on the table and wondered for the hundredth time that day if it was a proper gift. He took out his phone and was about to text Dominic when cold fingers stroked his nape.  
  
“Surprise!” Dominic exclaimed and laughed when Matt shouted ‘Jesus!’.  
  
“No, it’s just me,” the blond said with a smile, took off his warm coat and scarf and threw them on the other armchair. “So, how are you? Have you given your present?”  
  
Matthew blinked at him and turned his head. That was when Dominic noticed the box on the coffee table.  
  
“That’s for me?” he asked and when the brunet nodded, he started laughing.  
  
He tried explaining to Matthew what was so amusing, but he just clutched his belly and continued laughing for a few moments. Finally, he wiped his eyes and said: “What a coincidence!”  
  
He took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his coat and held it up with a grin. “Guess whose present I’m holding.”  
  
“We drew each other for Secret Santa?” Matthew wondered and he laughed as well.  
  
They exchanged their gifts, both of them hopeful that the other would like what they had chosen. Dominic pulled off the ribbon and found a beautiful, dark blue waistcoat inside the box. Matthew watched the blond as he admired the waistcoat and put it on, trying not to moan in delight at the sight. It was a good idea to ask Dominic to come in a shirt.  
  
“How do I look?” the blond asked and Matthew’s pleased smile told him everything.  
  
Then it was Matthew’s turn to open the envelope and he clearly didn’t expect what he received. He was silent for a few moments, just staring at the two tickets for the Christmas Symphony he wanted to go to so badly, before he looked at Dominic who was nervously awaiting his reaction.  
  
“You are amazing,” was all Matthew could say before he put his arms around Dominic’s neck and he pressed his lips urgently against Dom’s.   
  
The blonde tensed with surprise at first, but his hands soon found Matthew’s hips, bringing his colleague closer to him. Their lips parted with a soft pop, but they soon reunited for short, delicate kisses.  
  
“How did you even find tickets?” Matthew asked, stroking Dominic’s pretty hair.  
  
“That’s a secret, I’m afraid,” the blond whispered, pecking his colleague’s blushing cheek.  
  
They parted, but Matthew couldn’t let go of Dominic. “There are two tickets… would you like coming with me?”  
  
“I’d be delighted. I could wear my gift then.”  
  
“You should,” Matthew agreed, his eyes praising his colleague’s body. “You should also check your box again. I think you forgot something in there.”  
  
Dominic was confused; he was quite certain he had taken out everything. However, he found something under the white wrapping paper. He gasped when he saw what it was: the magazine’s special edition with his picture of the Christmas tree and the girl on the cover.  
  
“The boss didn’t need much convincing; she thought it was a wonderful photo,” Matthew explained and laughed when Dominic kissed his face several times between whispered thank yous.   
  
The boys took their presents and decided to go into the office. It was only then that they noticed how everyone was staring at them through the glass and when they entered the office, it exploded in a racket of happy sounds – everyone was ecstatic about their blooming relationship. Before becoming deaf, Dominic looked at Matthew and asked:  
  
“Just to be sure… when you invited me to the symphony, is that a date?”  
  
Matthew grinned: “It’s a date. Our first official one.”  
  
But until then they had a great party to celebrate with their colleagues.


End file.
